Remote control of dynamo-electric machines.



No. 792,105. PATENTED JUNE 13, 1905. J. E. WOODBRIDGE 6: J. B. TAYLOR.

REMOTE CONTROL OF DYNAMO ELECTRIC MACHINES.

APPLICATION TILED HOV. 21,1904.

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Patented June 13, 1905.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JONATHAN E. IVOODBRIDGE, OF RUGBY, ENGLAND, AND JOHN B. TAYLOR, OF SOHEUEOTADY, NEIV YORK, ASSIGNORS TO GENERAL ELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NE YORK.

REMOTE CONTROL OF DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,105, dated June 13, 1905.

Application filed November 21, 1904. Serial lit. 233,570.

To (1.7] 11/71/0777, it may con/corn;

Be it known that we, JONATHAN E. Woon- BRIDGE, residing at Rugby, England, and JOHN B. TAYLOR, residing at Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of N ewYork,

both citizens of the United States, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Remote Control of Dynamo-Electric Machines, of which the following is a specification.

Our present invention relates to means for controlling dynamo-electric machines from a distance and although capable of various applications is more particularly adapted for the I 5 control of rotary converters.

By the use of our invention the services of an attendant at substations or other points where the rotary converters are located are rendered unnecessary and the expense of substation maintenance thus largely reduced.

The features of novelty characteristic of our invention are pointed out in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, will be better understood by reference to the fol- 2 5 lowing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 represents one embodiment of our invention, and Fig. 2 a modification.

In the drawings, the rotary converter, which 0 is to be started up or shut down from some distant point, is indicated at 1. The alternating-currcnt leads, extending from the armature 2 of the rotary converter, are indicated at 3, 4, and 5. The direct-current leads, con- 5 nected to the commutator 6, are shown at 7 and S. The rotary converter in the present instance is of the self-exciting type and is therefore provided with the shunt field-windings 9 andthe cooperating series regulating- 0 winding 10.

The rotary converter receives its supply of power ordinarily from long high-potential transmission lines carrying high potential alternating current the voltage of which is reduccd at the substation near the rotary converter by step-down transformers, such as indicated conventionally at 11. The transmission-lines connected to the primary side of the transformers are shown at 12, 13, and 14. These transmission-lines extend back to the 5 source of power and are provided, either at the source or at some other convenient point, which we may term the controlling point or station, with voltage-varying means under the control of an attendant. This voltagevarying means may consist of compensatorwindings 15, 16, and 1'7 and controllingswitches 18, arranged so as to impress upon the lines 12, 13, and 14 any desired fraction of the voltage of the main supply-lines 19, 20, and 2.1. As the switches are shown they may when thrown in one direction cause something like one-half normal voltage to be impressed on the lines 12, 13, and 1e and when thrown in the opposite direction to impress 5 full voltage thereon. The Object of this voltage or varying means is to enable the rotary converter 1, when started by the throwing of switches 18, to receive during the time of starting a reduced voltage, and thereby avoid 7 excessive starting-currents.

The opening or closing of the switches 18 is all that is sufficient to start the rotary converter in a manner already well understood in the art. IV here the rotary converter, hOW- ever, is selfexcited, as shown in Fig. 1, the machine may come into synchronism with the polarity of the direct current either in the proper direction for the flow of current to the consumption-circuit, which is usually a trolleyline, or in the reverse direction, according to chance. \Ve therefore provide meansfor reversing the connections of the direct-current end of the rotary converter to the consumptioncircuit in case the polarity comes up reversed. 3 5 In Fig. 1 the consumption-circuit, consisting, for example, of the trolley-circuit 22, is connected to the rotary converter through a system of switches. These switches are controlled by a polarized relay 23 of any suitable and well- 9 known construction. The polarized member 2st may consist of a permanent magnet or of a winding excited by direct current of definite and unchangeable direction. The relatively movable member 25 is connected in a circuit across the commutator of the rotary converter 1, and therefore is excited in one direction or the other, according to the polarity of the rotary converter. When the polarity is in the proper direction, the member is moved so that the contact-carrying'arm 26 bridges the contacts 27 and closes the circuit of two contactor-magnets 28 and 29 across a suitable source of power, such as the mains of the rotary converter. These magnets, acting upon the switch members 30 and 31, close the mains of the rotary converter to the consumption-circuit 22.

In case the voltage of the rotary converter comes up in the opposite direction the movable member of the polarized relay 23 swings so as to bridge the other set of contacts 32 and cause the other set of contactor-magnets 33 and 34 to be energized. This set of magnets, acting upon their corresponding switch members 35 and 36, connects the rotary-converter armature in the reverse sense to the consumption-circuit 22, and thus impresses the direct current voltage of the rotary converter upon this consumption-circuit in the proper direction.

We may, if desired, avoid the use of the polarity-controlling switches at the substation by manipulating the field of the rotary converter from the controlling-station. According to our means for accomplishing this result aconductor 37 (shown in Fig. 2) extends from the substation back to the controllingstation and serves to convey the exciting-current for the field of the rotary converter. A switch-arm 38 at the controlling-station cooperates with a number of contacts, one of which, numbered 39, is grounded, another, 40, connected through a resistance 41 to the trolley-circuit 42, and the last, 43; directly to the trolley-circuit. A source of current 44 at the controlling-station or other suitable point supplies current to the trolley-circuit.

In order to start up the rotary converter, the field-circuit being then closed by grounding the switch-arm 38 to the contact 39, and thus completing the field-circuit through the grounded side of the direct-current end of the machine at 45, the alternating current at reduced voltage is supplied to the rotary converter over the transmission-lines from the controlling-station. The rotary converter is thus started up. The closure of the field-circuit by the switch 38 prevents excessive rise of voltage on the field-winding by transformer action of the alternating current in the armature. After synchronous speed is reached the alternating-current voltage may be raised to normal and the switch-arm 38 closed upon the contact through the resistance 41 to the trolley-circuit. This resistance is of avalue such that the current which it permits to pass is sufficient to correct the polarity of the converter if it happens to be reversed, but not sufficient to actuate the magnetic switch 46, which is in the field-circuit 37 and operates to connect the armature of the converter to the trolley-circuit. The switch 38 is finally moved to contact 43, and by thus giving normal excitation to the converter actuates the switch 46, and so places the machine in service.

It is evident that numerous modifications may be made in the embodiment of our invention, for which reason we do not wish to be limited to the exact device shown and described.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is

1. The combination of a rotary converter located at some point such as a substation, and means controlled from a point distant from said substation for starting said rotary converter and for connecting the direct-current end of the rotary converter in power-supplying relation to a consumption-circuit.

2. The combination of a rotary converter, a polarized relay operatively related to the direct-current end of said rotary converter, and circuits controlled by said relay for connecting the direct-current end of said rotary converter to a consumption-circuit with a polarity which is the same regardless of the polarity at the brushes of the rotary converter.

3. The combination of a rotary converter, a consumption-circuit supplied from the direct-current end thereof, and automatic means for connecting the rotaryconverter to said consumption-circuit in proper current-transferring relation regardless of the polarity at the brushes of the rotary converter.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 1st day of November, 1904.

JONATHAN E. VVOODBRIDGE.

Witnesses:

A. J. TANNER, H. D. JAMnsoN. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 19th day of November, 1904. JOHN B. TAYLOR. Witnesses:

HELEN ORFORD, G. G. HOLLISTER. 

